1. The vaginal smear specimens of 113 patients with cervical cancer received radiation treatment were examined, and Cancer cell Decreasing Rate (CDR), Cancer cell Decreasing Curve (CDC), Radiation Response (RR) and Sensitization Response (SR) were calculated.
2. On nonmalignant squamous cells following changes were observed after irradiation: enlargement of nucleus and cytoplasm, vacuolation of nucleus and cytoplasm, pyknosis, karyorrhexis, multinucleation, cytolysis and abnormal staining. Among these changes enlargement was most prevalent. Also these changes were observed mor frequently in deep layer cells than in superficial layer cells.
3. These radiation changes, i.e. enlargement, vacuolation, multinucleation, thickened nuclear membrane, pyknosis, karyorrhexis and abnormal staining were also observed on cancer cells. Farthermore, the malignant cells rapidly disappeared in smear specimen on proceeding of the radiation treatment.
4. The CDR agreed quite well with CDC except for 2 cases, but showed no correlation with clinical stage of the patients nor developing type of the tumor. Poor CDR was more frequent in adenocarcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma.
5. The patients with good CDR or good RR showed statistically better prognosis than those with poor CDR or poor RR respectively, but there was no difference between prognosis of the patients with good SR and those with poor SR. When RR and CDR agreed in a given patient, more accurate estimation of prognosis was attained